


When Your Time Runs Out and You're Looking for a Place to Land

by dls



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5+1, Angst, Gen, Immortality, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Suicidal Thoughts, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 21:19:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9091210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dls/pseuds/dls
Summary: After a mission gone wrong, Tony Stark emerged from his wrecked armor an immortal.  For a man whose life was filled with regrets and whose heart was filled with guilt, he viewed this as something to be cherished. Until time bled together - month, decade, centuries, and millennia lost their meanings – and Tony still wasn’t able to bleed.Or: 5 Times Tony Stark Hated Immortality and the 1 Time He Didn't





	

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for [this prompt](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/21438.html?view=54455230#t54455230). 
> 
> Beta-ed by [Arboreal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arboreal).
> 
> References/Quotes:   
>  Title from "I Can Change" by Brandon Flowers.   
>  _Doctor Who (S01E02)_ \- "Everything has its time and everything dies." / "This is the year 5.5/apple/26, five billion years in your future."

**Five.**

It was the year 5.5/apple/26, nearly five billion years since Tony became immune to the effects of time. He watched the earth burn from the top of the space station, positioning his weightless body over the edge as though he were sitting. His tech informed him of a commotion beneath him but Tony didn't rouse. It had been a long time since he cared, since he tried, since he _avenged_.

He would say he felt tired, but his frozen-in-time body felt little. Excruciating pain muted to mild discomfort, whatever magic force field surrounding his body barred any changes to his state. Most of what he did were acts of habit – inhale and exhale, resting and waking, eating and drinking. Tony would laugh at the irony of his tight grip on routines, but the absurdity had worn off long ago. 

Chatter filtered in and he heard a man, with almost as much resignation and bitterness as Tony. 

"Everything has its time and everything dies."

"Not me." He thought bitterly as he propelled himself forward into the molten heat.

It was worth a try.

 

**Four.**

It was the year 8,258,163, nearly six millennia since Tony lost FRIDAY. The technological advancements had been impressive, geniuses were born every day and some even managed to match him. His girl used to alert him of advancements and developments, the two of them weighing the pros and cons of approaching the new talents. Tony found an undying friend in the streams of codes, doing everything in his considerable power to ensure her existence through information, integration, and innovation. Then one day, he couldn't recognize his girl FRIDAY anymore. Her codes had been rewritten countless times until she was only FRIDAY in name.

"I remember FRIDAY but I do not feel like I am her anymore."  

He was doing the same, stubbornly holding onto _Tony Stark_ – a name, a title, a shell.

 

**Three.**

It was the year 780,158, nearly eight centuries since Tony last saw Thor. They didn't part on the best of terms, but it wasn't the worst they'd had. Thor had given up convincing Tony immortality was a grand gift and Tony had stopped correcting Thor's definition of immortal. Thor, while a god, was not immortal. Not the same way Tony was. It still bothered Tony greatly that he was more god-like than the only god he knew.

Thor could age, be injured, and _die_.

But the news still caught Tony off-guard. Tony attended the funeral ritual, staying toward the back and observing the grieving family with a detached heart. Grief remained unchanged over the years, bowed bodies and tear-streaked faces.

Thor's son spoke passionately, praises and consolations aplenty in his eulogy. "We shall conquer our sorrow and arise with strength a thousandfold. For Thor is with us all, now and forever more."

"Not forever." He thought, before teleporting back to his own realm. Loneliness weighed heavilyy in his heart.

 

**Two.**

It was the year 3022, nearly five decades since Tony visited Steve Rogers. The serum had finally faded from the super soldier's system, allowing him to submit to nature's law. They never quite regained their friendship after the fall out just over a thousand years ago. Calling it a war seemed self-important and trivial, given all they had survived since then.

Different villains – man, machine, or god – came and surrendered when faced with Tony's unique ability to withstand anything thrown his way. There had been forceful and subtle attempts to steal his immortality, ranging from scientific to supernatural, but all ended in failure. Time formed an armor around Tony, preventing any change from taking place and allowing him to slip through life unaffected.

"Clint, Thor, Natasha, Bruce, Tony." Steve was reciting the original Avengers' names like a mantra during Tony's last visit, which was cut short when Tony's unaged presence triggered a mild heart attack.

 

**One.**

It was the year 2034, nearly twenty-five years since Tony announced he was Iron Man. Pepper had stayed by his side – first his assistant, then his lover, and finally his friend. She saw Tony through all his transformative stages, including the most vital and literally life-changing one. He used to think he could not survive without Pepper, and he still refused to believe otherwise. Substances affected him temporarily, he could be blindingly drunk but suffer no hangovers or organ damage. Injuries became minor inconveniences, his body stubbornly maintaining the status quo. Once, in a moment of absolute despair, Tony had ripped out his arc reactor but the shrapnel did not enter his heart. Everything stayed eerily still, unbearable for a man who was always in motion.

"Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" She said teasingly as she settled in her couch, her silver hair shining red-gold in the sunset. 

"Yes, that'll be all, Ms. Potts." He pressed a kiss to her temple. 

Her eyelashes fluttered as she drifted off, she felt no pain. 

Pain was for the living and Tony was going to live forever. 

 

**Zero.**

It was the year 2014, nearly nine months since Tony had been exposed to Doctor Doom's bio-weapon and emerged immortal from his disintegrated Iron Man suit. Tony had been in quarantine for weeks before his release, going crazy from boredom and worry for his teammates.

This was his first mission back, so of course they were facing dragons. Fire-breathing dragons with nightmarish teeth. The injuries piled up quickly – broken leg, burnt shoulder, and bloodied chest. Tony did his best to provide cover, repeatedly and unwittingly demonstrating his new power. It made sense for Steve to call for a tactical retreat when the Hulk was knocked unconscious. It also made sense for Tony to volunteer to take care of the situation alone, given that he was the only one unmarred by flames or claws.

"It's your show, Iron Man." Clint said, retreating to the quinjet with the rest of the team. Perhaps there was a note in the archer's voice, or maybe not.

"Yep, I'll kick this dragon's ass or die trying." Tony readied his repulsors. "Good thing I can't die." 

**Author's Note:**

> [dls-ao3.tumblr.com](https://dls-ao3.tumblr.com/)


End file.
